Great Pumpkin!

Happy (belated) Halloween!
Amelia's first Halloween! No, she didn't wear a costume, but she did wear the cute Boo outfit from Grandpa Hank and Grandma Claudia. She's a punkin. Plus, look how big she's getting! She's standing (almost). :)
On a different note, tomorrow is the big game between Michigan State and Michigan. I am getting calls from several desperate MSU fans asking if Amelia could please wear some MSU clothing and forgo the U of M onesie (which is getting a bit tight by the way). I'm not sure how to handle this as her dad is a U of M fan and would not like it at all if she wore a MSU outfit. But her mama is a MSU alum. Sadly, she doesn't even have a MSU outfit. What to do....
to be continued...
Sweet dreams sports fans.
Turrell Family

Prayers for Peyton

Recently, I received an e-mail from one of Amelia's NICU nurses regarding a friend of hers who two weeks ago delivered a baby boy named Peyton. Peyton was diagnosed as a Colloidion baby. (Some of you may have seen the comment posted by Peyton's grandma on the blog following Amelia's dermatologist appointment). I have exchanged e-mails with Peyton's mom and she has expressed how stressful it has been waiting but told me that Peyton is thriving, retaining fluids well and gaining weight. Wonderful!
With the Colloidion baby, there is this unique waiting period from when the initial membrane sloughs and the two month mark when all you can do is, well, wait. Wait and pray. As awful as it felt not knowing, for me there was also this overwhelming feeling of hope. Of course, Ford and I know exactly what these new parents are feeling and we understand all too well the journey they are facing. Please help me to help them make it a journey of hope more so than fear. Hope is so much better than fear! Please pray for them as you have prayed for us, specifically for peace, strength and of course healing! I have expressed over and over how much comfort it gave me, and still gives me to know how many people were (and are still) praying for Amelia. I know it would give this family the same comfort to know that you all are praying for their beautiful new baby boy as well.
Amelia is testament that healing happens and that His power is unlimited!
There's that word of the day again. Unlimited.
God bless Baby Peyton!
Love to you all.
Kim, Ford and Amelia

Pints and Half Pints

No, don't worry, this is not another blog about Little House, (although for those of you who share my affinity for Little House, it's no longer on TV Land, but it is on the Hallmark Channel) but rather about a Thursday night out with Dad. The picture shown is Amelia and Ford on their way out to 12th South Tap Room (just so you know...a smoke free neighborhood restaurant down the street from where we live) where Ford and some of our dad friends meet for Pints with their Half Pints in tow, or in a Bjorn. :) She loves Thursday nights with her Dad and it's a nice chance for the mamas to regroup for an hour or two. :) Everybody wins!
Amelia had her 10 week pediatrician visit today (she's actually 11 weeks and 3 days) and once more she was tipping the scales in the size department. Literally! She's is 14 lbs 14 oz, again off the curve of percentiles, she is in the 95th percentile for height at 24 1/2 inches long, and in the 85th percentile for head circumference at 41 cm. I asked her doc if he could predict how tall she might be, but apparently they can't guesstimate until they reach the age of 3. She is healthy from head to toe and it was so fun to be able to tell her pediatrician the good news about her skin! She had two shots today. Is there anything sadder than the look on their little faces when they are shocked by the pain of a needle stuck into their little legs? So stinkin' sad, it's amazing how as a parent you feel their pain down in your core, it's the craziest isn't it? Needless to say, she was exhausted and has been taking a long snuggly nap since we got home.
Here is an overview of what Amelia has been doing lately...she rolled over yesterday from her back to her tummy, she smiles socially all the time and coos and talks regularly, she loves listening to her dad play the guitar and kicks her feet and squeals in delight. However, she is a bit of a fraidy cat when it comes to things like loud noises, baths and hairdryers (see Big Lip Clip). Her eyes are still quite gray but look like they might be turning a bit brown, we'll have to wait an see. She has a nice round bald spot on the back of her head but her hair seems to be growing now on the top of her head especially. She loves to be naked on her changing table. She started drooling quite a bit although it's too early for teeth and she loves her mommy and daddy. She does not like it when Mom eats pesto.
So, happy to share with you a wonderful report of health and happiness for our Amelia.
Thanks for your prayers, love and support as always.
Love
Kim
Also, thank you for your prayers regarding our friend Tim's dad, Norval, who was diagnosed with Prostate cancer recently. Reports have been good thus far and I know they would appreciate your continued prayers.
The same for my cousin Claudia, thank you for the prayers. She is healing nicely tolerating her pain well too.
God is good!
Thanks again.

It's Saturday morning. Amelia is trying to take her morning nap. It's still a struggle, to say the least to get her to lay down for a nap. She enjoys the snuggling so much, she can't bear to be without it while she sleeps. So, the dilema continues. I solicit advice from friends and books. Everyone says something different. "it's okay to hold her while she sleeps because rest is most important, lay her down and let her cry it out, don't let her cry it out, 10 weeks is too young to let her cry, babies need to be soothed, you can't spoil a child under 6 months of age, let her cry for 5 minutues and then console her then 10 minutes and so on, don't let her sleep in your bed, yes, let her sleep in your bed she's only little once and she won't want to forever...be consistent!
What to do? Excuse me, I have to go console my screaming Amelia! :)
You know what else is interesting, why do the LOUDEST things happen when a baby is trying to sleep? The UPS man pounds on the door (usually with a present for Amelia!) :), the can of artichokes falls out the cupboard and crashes loudly onto the kitchen floor when you are quietly and finally trying to squeeze in a bowl of cereal for yourself, the CAT meows a few hundred times in that extra loud nails on the chalkboard sort of meow...excellent.
This is what baby memories are made of...and I'm loving it.
Onward!
Happy Day and blessings,
Kim

Big Lip Clip

Dad and Amelia playing a funny game...

Happy Fall!

Happy fall! Amelia took her first trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday out in Franklin, TN. She slept the whole time. :) We got her her first pumpkin, a small baby one. It was great to be out and about, enjoying a warm sunny Sunday afternoon. (It's still pretty warm here). I do miss the apple orchards of Michigan. Apple picking, warm cider and fresh pumpkin donuts...I can't wait to take her when she's older. There's something about fall that makes life feel a little less hectic. Things tend to slow down and there's a sense of calm and a feeling of settling in. That feeling is magnified around this house since our doctor's visit last week. Everything seems different. We can really relax and not think about the "what's next" as far as her skin is concerned. God has given us that gift, and along with that gift, all the other worries in life don't seem so big anymore. I intend to hold onto that peace that has been granted as I continue to pray for guidance as a new parent...here we go!
I am thankful for this blog to be able to share with you the journey we've been on the past few months. This blog has been a great tool in so many ways. It has also allowed us to reach so many to ask for prayers and healing. I am in awe of the power of prayer.
I want to extend to you a few prayer requests...one for my young cousin Claudia who just underwent back surgery. Please pray for her pain and for quick recovery and total healing in the years to come.
And also for our good friend Tim Netsch's dad, Norval, who was recently diagnosed with Prostate cancer. If you could add him to your prayer lists...please pray for peace for he and his family during this time and of course for his healing. Thank you!
Enjoy this fall, take time to get to a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard with someone you love!
We love you.
Kim, Ford, & Amelia

Auntie Michelle comes to visit!

Hi Everyone,
My Aunt Michelle came to visit me this week. We had lots of fun! We played and sang songs and went for walks and looked at books and laughed and laughed. We had a good week this week. More good times. I love visitors, wanna come over?
Nighty night.
i love you
Amelia

THIS is the day the Lord has made!!!

Praise God! Healing happens! God has blessed us and we are so very thankful. Our hearts are overflowing!! She's healed, just look at her!
Let me start by extending my warmest and most heartfelt thank you to EVERYONE who prays for Amelia. The incredible outpouring of love and support has been nothing short of amazing and wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We went to Amelia's dermatologist appointment this morning. Dr. Mike Smith and two resident interns came in to see her. He took one look at her and said "Wow, she looks great." I showed him her tummy, back and neck. He said, "Yup, she's still peeling." He went on to say that at this point he can rule out any of the major types of Ichthyosis associated with the Colloidion membrane (Lamellars, CIE, X- linked, Nethertins, etc.). These types would have shown characteristics by now, on her legs, or red patchy skin, etc. She would have been getting worse over the course of these past few months, not better...and she just keeps getting better! He saw no reason to do a biopsy, just as Ford predicted. :) He told us that IF anything at this point, she could show signs of having Ichthyiosis Vulgaris between 6-12 months of age, this is usually late onset and can be associated with a Colloidion baby or not. But basically she looks so great that he couldn't even say that with any certainty. (This would basically mean some dry skin or a few patches of Atopic Dermatitis- eczema, very minor and very treatable). He said she's on the road to normal looking/acting skin. Music to our ears. He even said he does not need to see her again!
So, medically speaking, she falls into the small percentage of a transient peeling Colloidion baby with no underlying skin condition. This basically means she peeled again (in certain areas) after leaving the hospital and the skin underneath will be normal in the days to come. No one knows why some babies have a Colloidion membrane and nothing else. He could not even tell us if it is a genetic issue. (Ichthyosis is a genetic issue). He gave us the number of a geneticist at Vanderbilt if we should have any further questions, said, "she's pretty cool," shook our hands and said "nice to meet you." Wow, it was like a dream!
A huge weight has been lifted today. The Lord has blessed us and has blessed her with His gift of healing. He IS the Great Physician. There is no doubt in my mind that He has healed her. She is proof that healing happens, that all things work together for good for those who love Him, and that nothing is too big or too small for Him. I have also learned that this does not mean that He does not allow suffering, or that He keeps bad things from happening to good people, or that He will always answer our prayers on our timing. He has a plan for Amelia, He has all along, just as He has a plan for all of us. Through this I can say with certainty that He wants to bless us, and he wants us to trust Him through the worst of days and the best of days. Today was the best of days, and I am forever grateful.
Love to you all.
Kim, Ford and AMELIA

Friends

Hi Everyone.
Meet my friend Elsa Netsch. She lives across the street and she was born 12 days after me. Lots of you know her big sister, Ivey. They came over tonight for dinner and we got to play for a while. Look, we're holding hands. Good times.
I love you.
Amelia

Pre-appointment update...

I can't believe Amelia is almost 2 months old. It's been such fun watching her grow and watching her personality blossom and to think, there's so much more to come! Along with the time spent getting to know our little Amelia, the 2 month marker has also been one of anxiety for me. It means trip number two to see Dr. Mike Smith, pediatric dermatologist at Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital. Many things have been going through my mind leading up to this appointment. He told us at her 2 week visit, that if her skin looked normal he would not do a biopsy. So, I felt like we had this time limit of six weeks to watch her skin do what it needed to do to reveal normal baby skin head to toe. As anxious as I was for this, I have to remind myself that my timing is not always God's timing...but overall, we have been extremely encouraged by her progress, she just keeps looking better and better.
Along with some of the original membrane still left on her when we were discharged from the hospital, she kind of peeled again on certain areas of her trunk. It's almost completely gone and all that is really left to peel is her neck and the creases in her pelvis and a tiny bit on her tummy. I was hoping this would all be gone by her appointment date, but I can't complain since the skin underneath what has come off is the appropriate color and is very smooth. I think this is just taking the longest because they are hidden in her creases. Her skin on her face, shoulders, arms, hands, bottom, legs and feet still look beautiful and normal and have not changed in the past few months. Wonderful, this has been so reassuring for me. As you can imagine, I inspect her daily and I thank Him everyday. :)
Praise God! Our prayers are working.
Knowing how well she's doing, it's so hard that we have to wait to see what he says about her trunk and whether or not he wants to do a biopsy. From what we understand, the biopsy would involve a local anesthetic (a shot) and then a 3 mm diameter plug of skin would be removed and closed up with 1 stitch, leaving a small scar. So, if he does one, he'd probably take it from her butt, which again looks normal. Ford's opinion is that he will not biopsy her this time since there is nothing to really biopsy. That feels like answered prayers to me. :)
There are many facets to this condition, not really worth getting into unless there's a reason to but we recently learned that 1 in 250 people have Ichthyoisis (which basically means dry skin). This type is called Vulgaris and can be associated with the Colloidian membrane or not. The other types that the dermatologist mentioned are more rare as they are associated with the membrane. And of course there are the babies who have the membrane but no condition.
We continue to pray each and every day for her healing. She is looking so great and we thank you all for continuing to WAIT with us and most importantly for continuing to pray for her.
So, I am asking AGAIN....Please continue to pray for her complete HEALING from this condition and please pray for her appointment on Monday.
Thank you.
Love to you all.
Kim
Mark 11:24